Fab 5: The Starting Lineup

This show is about 5 of the best and most influential artists in the world, in my opinion. I know there are many artists that I can choose from besides the 5 I have chosen but these are the guys I picked nonetheless. In no particular order, Salvador Dali, Leonardo da Vinci, Pablo Picasso, Vincent van Gogh, and Claude Monet are the artist I chose. I am going to show you why I connect with these pieces of art and artists.


The location of my art show will be at the entrance of the E building. It is the best looking entrance, very spacious and the sunlight shines through beautifully. I would put all the pieces of art on the wall across from the court yard. The reason for me picking that hallway is because it's spacious and since the courtyard is right across from where I would hang the art work, when the sun shines it gives that area an aura.  It is the perfect area for the art show. The audience that I want to reach are the students who are art majors. In my opinion, seeing the famous pieces of art from those 5 men should give them motivation every time they pass through that area. Hopefully, enough that they will strive for greatness. Also, I would like to reach anybody who is interested in art and want to know more about art. Even those who want to shut down art programs in our schools to save money and resources are definitely the people who would be welcomed to see my art show. The more the merrier.
 

The theme of the show is to show the creativity that it takes to make a beautiful piece of art. That is why I picked these certain artists because when I think about art, I think of these 5 artists. I came up with this idea because in my sons’ school in Texas, they don't have an art program because the school wants to save money. This is the main reason I came up with the show. Art programs are vital to producing well-rounded children. Kids need a break from the usual math or english class in school. They sit and listen for a majority of the day anyway. An art class gives them something tangible to get their hands on and create something. They are creating instead of doing a math problem. Having these options available to students gives many an opportunity they wouldn't otherwise have. Giving kids an outlet for their creativity is a requirement. They need an outlet at school, which a traditional class is unlikely to give them. There are countless kids that look forward to school because of art class. That method of creation allows them to express themselves and feel unique and appreciated.


Here are the 5 pieces I would hang up in my show:




  

Salvador, Dali's  1955 painting, "The sacrament of the last supper", is painted in oils on canvas. The painting is 105 inches by 65.6 inches in size. The painting took Dali nine months to complete. In my opinion, the figure above Jesus and the seated disciples indicates resurrection. Another notable aspect of the painting is that the only face fully visible is that of Jesus himself. The disciples all have their heads bowed, as if they are praying or feeling sorrow. Dali, shows us in this painting his skillful use of pastel shades. The image of Jesus is captured in an mystical way. Everything behind the figure of Jesus is painted in a hazy, dreamy way, as if everything behind Jesus is heaven itself. The pastel shades are skillfully created to give the painting its glowing aspect. Dali has created an image of Christ that is not really stereotypical. The man is young and has long hair, but there is no beard. His use of soft colors makes the painting in my opinion. Also the horizontal lines makes the painting appear calm. His use of even # amount of things produces some type of symmetries. This painting has a sense of unity and putting jesus in the middle with a kind of bright light around him catches the viewers attention. Awesome painting!!

FUN FACT:

Salvador Dali was born in Spain in 1904. When he was a child, he showed strange behavior and often interrupted his class in school. As he got older, he started to paint pictures that came from his dreams. His dreams and his paintings were scary and unreal. Dali went to art school in Madrid, Spain. He got kicked out, and never finished. He even spent time in jail. However, he continued to paint, and his art style became known as Surrealism. Salvador Dali drew everyday items, but changed them in odd ways. For example, one of his paintings is of melting clocks. Before he died at the age of 85 in 1989, Dali had created works in film, ballet, opera, fashion, jewelry, and advertising illustrations.





isa is a 16th-century portrait oil painting created in oil on a poplar panel in Florence, Italy by Leonardo Da Vinci during the Renaissance periodMona Lisa is a 16th-century portrait oil The Mona Lisa (1503-1516) is a half-length portrait of a woman by the Italian artist Leonardo Da Vinci, which has been acclaimed as "the best known, the most visited, the most written about, the most sung about, the most parodied work of art in the world. The medium is oil on canvas. The Mona Lisa is a 16th century portrait created in oil on a panel in Florence, Italy during the renaissance period. Images of the Mona Lisa are ubiquitous and so many people have seen it many times. What jumps out at me is the uncanny way that the painting seems alive and so realistic. Her eyes seem to follow my eyes. Her eyes look as if she is looking at Da Vinci in his eyes while he was painting her, which meets up with my eye line (eye level). Everything surrounding her face is dark, bringing more focus to her face. His use of lights and darks makes the painting standout. It is very representational with a good balance. I love his use of earth tone colors.e

FUN FACT:

Many question as to whether Mona Lisa is as much a portrait painting as it is depiction of an ordeal. The harmony between the model and the landscape behind her creates a sort of natural order, all punctuated by the detail of her mouth and that world famous smile.
o her eye line. Everything surrounding her face is dark, bringing that much more focus to the light of hee attraction it provides. The overall effect is a kind of natural attraction to her, drawn in by her appearan




This painting is called "Guernica" by Pablo Picasso. This medium is oil on canvas. This painting was created in response to the bombing of Guernica, a country village in northern spain by german and Italian warplanes. Pablo Picasso was asked to create this large mural. Pablo Picasso was born in Malaga, Spain on October 5, 1881. His father, Jose Ruiz, was also an artist. Picasso painted in many styles, including Cubism and Expressionism. He also sculpted. "Guernica" is a very powerful piece. One reason is because of its size. The painting is over 11 feet tall and 25 feet long. Another reason is because if you keep your eyes on the painting and in your mind you visualize what you are seeing, it makes it seem as if you can hear the chaos that is going on in this painting. This painting is done in black, white and gray. In my opinion, painting it in those colors makes this art piece more powerful because you concentrate more on the figures rather than on the colors. The center of the painting is dominated by a horse, which is contorted into a painful position. The horse looks like it is in agony. Another animal in the painting is the bull. The bull is standing over the women in a watchful, almost protective stance. On the left side is a woman who looks like she is  grieving over the loss of her child. It looks as if the child is dead, due to the unnatural twist of his neck. There is a man who looks in pain  next to the lady screaming. His left arm reaches out ahead of him with his fingers in a claw-like position. His opposite arm lay beside him, severed at about the elbow. His fingers are still gripping the broken sword, and, at the same time, he is grasping small flowers. You can feel the energy from this painting and what the artist was trying to convey. His use of positive and negative space is tremendous. This painting has a certain motif about it. There is alot of variety in this painting but it still has that certain balance and sense of unity.


FUN FACT:

This work has gained a monumental status, becoming a perpetual reminder of the tragedies of war, an anti-war symbol, and an embodiment of peace. On completion "Guernica" was displayed around the world in a brief tour, becoming famous and widely acclaimed. This tour helped bring the Spanish Civil War to the world's attention.






 Here is a painting by Vincent van Gogh called "Starry Night" (1888). The medium is oil on canvas. There is the night sky filled with swirling clouds, stars are shining bright, and a bright crescent moon. Although the features are exaggerated, this is a scene we can all relate to.Van Gogh creates a sense of furious motion but the town looks very peaceful. The painting consists of blue and yellow hues, which are complementary colors. This painting consists of darkness and brightness, calmness and frenzy all in one painting. His use of lines and shape brings out the emotion in this painting. He uses primary colors (yellow, blue). The flame has great texture. The flame and the sun gives it balance and it definitely has organic shapes. Great painitng!!!

FUN FACT:

"Starry Night" is the painting of Vincent Van Gogh’s bizarre mind during that time. The year before he painted the piece, he got into a major fight with his most trusted friend, Gaugin and as the argument heated up, Vincent lose control of his better thinking that made it possible for him to cut his own right ear.

The depression about the incident made him suffer for so long that made his neighbors in Arles decide to send him to the Psychiatric hospital and it was during his stay in the ward when he come up with masterpieces that mainly highlights subject in the nocturnal setting like The Night Cafe and Starry Night Over the Rhone.







This painting is part of a series called "The Lily Pond Series" by Claude Monet. The actual painting is called "Waterlilies and Japanese Bridge" (1899). The medium is oil on canvas. His use of different greens and browns really work well with this painting. He makes the river flow seem realistic. This bridge was in his garden. The texture looks somewhat rough. Also his ability to make the trees look like they are reflecting from the river is a great gift that he had. His use of lines brings this painting to life. It has a little range of value and some what monochromatic with all the types of greens. It can almost pass for a symmetrical balance piece.

FUN FACT:

Monet died in 1926 in Giverny. Many people came to his funeral. Unlike many artists, he was famous even before he died. Now his house in Giverny is a museum that is visited by many people.



I picked these pieces not only for the actual piece of art but also by whom the artwork was created. As the curator of this show I picked these pieces because they are connected to each other in a way that no matter when you was born or how you paint and what type of equipment you use, art is a beautiful thing. The use of positive and negative spaces, range of value, colors, balance and emphasis all come into play when I talk about these artists. Even from a little abstract to representational, these artist are the cream of the crop. All the pieces that I picked connect with the theme of this show because if I had to go a give a presentation to those people who want to close art programs, my starting lineup would be these Fab 5.


P.S.  Professor,

I answered all the questions and I hope you like this very long presentation.  It has been a pleasure
being in your class and learning about art, which I may add, I learned alot. Thank you for making my semester that much better. Have a great holiday.
P.P.S.
I am looking for a grade no less than an A- (lol). Hopefully i get it. Have a great one.